Hobby Farms

12/09/2024

Turkey recipes are prevalent at Thanksgiving and Christmas but are perfect any time of year. Here are three tasty recipes handed down through generations.

Turkey Recipes Handed Down Through Generations

12/08/2024

Sheep breeding season happens during the fall and winter months as ewes enter their estrous cycle. Here is a checklist to capitalize on this bang season.

November is Go Time for Ewes and Rams, Be Prepared!

12/07/2024

A kitchen pantry can serve as the heart of a hobby farm home with these easy tips to quickly and strategically organize and elevate your food storage.

Save Money & Time By Minimizing Shopping Trips and Keeping Food Costs Low

12/06/2024

An interesting look at using crimson clover as a cover crop to boost your soil and prepare for spring since it is a legume that adds loads of nitrogen to your beds.

When Planted Around November, Crimson Clover Will Dormant in Winter & Awaken as a Workhorse in Spring

12/06/2024

In most of the country, this picture seems out of place now, but perennials still need care into late fall. Here are our tips so your plants are healthy come spring.

Give Perennials the Care they Need to Make a Successful Return in the Spring

12/04/2024

Enjoy this spiced egg yolk cookie recipe in honor of National Cookie Day! 🍪🎄🥚

Yield: 30 to 32 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar, for rolling

To the bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium for 30 seconds until the ingredients start to come together. Then turn to medium-high and mix for five minutes. Stop to scrape the sides a couple times.

The butter and sugar should be fully creamed (like thick whipped cream) and pale yellow.

Mix in the egg yolks just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Then mix in the orange liqueur (if using), orange zest and orange juice.

Next mix in the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

With the mixer on medium-low, add the flour a little at a time. Turn the mixer to medium and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to stir in any flour that may not be fully mixed in. Place the bowl with the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Put the raw sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into walnut-size balls, then roll them in the sugar to coat each ball completely.

Arrange on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. The cookies will spread. If you prefer perfectly round cookies without the chance of edges reaching each other, bake nine cookies at a time on a standard cookie sheet versus 12.

Bake the egg yolk cookies for 12 minutes, until the edges are very slightly browned and the cookies puff a bit. They will flatten and settle as they cool.

Cool for five minutes before transferring from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.

Recipe and photo by Lori Rice.

12/03/2024

Just hanging out...
Reader 📸: Rebecca Reynolds, Waukesha, WI

12/02/2024

📸 from .cock.a.doodle.dos..."Not getting many eggs these days, but I still ain’t complaining. 🤍"

12/01/2024

✨️ Love these simple and beautiful barn lights to celebrate National Christmas Lights Day! (📸: Adobe Stock/Shelley)

11/30/2024

What a trio!
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Reader 📸 by Renee Hinckley, Yamhill, OR

11/29/2024

Barn Buddies! 🐓🐐
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Reader 📸 by Quinley Woods, Ashburnham, MA

11/28/2024

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🥧🧺

📸: Adobe Stock/ccestep8

11/27/2024

Out and about!
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Reader 📸: Shan Keeler, Lake Ariel, PA

11/26/2024

A kitchen pantry can serve as the heart of a hobby farm kitchen with these easy tips to quickly and strategically organize and elevate your pantry.

Save Money & Time By Minimizing Shopping Trips and Keeping Food Costs Low

11/25/2024

Just in time for holiday guests...Homemade cleaners swap harsh cleaning products for safe cleaning alternatives with options you may already have on hand. Here's how to make your own.
➡️ https://www.hobbyfarms.com/homemade-cleaners-how-to-get-your-home-sparkling/

11/24/2024

Enjoy this Thanksgiving brussels sprouts recipe...
🦃🍽️🥬

Serves 4-6

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed (Try to buy the sprouts still on the stalk.)
3 three cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Shred the sprouts and the garlic with the slicing blade of a food processor. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or wok-shaped pan. Stir-fry the shredded sprouts and garlic until softened and still bright green. If they seem dry or begin to burn, add up to 1/4 c. water or broth. Season and toss with cranberries and nuts.

Recipe by Judith Hausman

11/23/2024

"Some chicken owners add artificial lights to the coop set to a timer, triggering ovulation in winter. For those who don’t intend to keep their layers past a few years, adding light can be a practical method to restart egg production after molting, yet it can have downfalls. Winter months are important for a hen’s health to replenish nutrients and recover from egg laying during the warmer months." - Heather Lusk
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11/23/2024

Fabulous close-up! 🐓🐓🐓
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Reader 📸by Laura Pierret